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Good bagel/biali in RI?

Does this rare creation exist here in RI? There are no good bagels to be found, in my experience. Everything called a bagel here is nothing more than a small round loaf of squishy bread - no crusty outside, no dense inside, might as well be Wonder Bread.

And other than some disappointing biali imitation that some Stop & Shops have, I haven't found any. Hoping that somewhere these can be found that approximate a real bagel or biali. Thanks.

I hear you...while I've never had a biali...I do like bagels! I like the ones at Rainbow Bakery - I didn't have my first bagel until I was an adult, so I am not sure what a "real" bagel is supposed to be like, but I am pretty sure that what you can get at Panera's and DD is NOT a real bagel! The ones at Rainbow have a nice crust outside and are pretty dense, not squishy and soft, on the inside.

I don't know where Rainbow is, but they DO serve their bagels at White Electric most days -- there's one day a week when they serve Iggys instead, because of Rainbow's schedule, I think it's Sundays or Mondays. They are pretty good, and probably the most traditionally authentic, chewiest bagel I've had in town, although I do find them a touch dry.

On a slightly different note, I actually quite like the bagels at Bagel Gourmet on the East Side. They're not the traditionally chewy, dense specimen, but something closer to the modern NYC bagels I grew up with. They have a reasonable balance between chew and soft, excellent flavor and a pleasing density. They remind of H&H or something like that. I imagine you've probably tried these though, and they don't quite match your description.

Finally, as far as bialies: forget it. In her great book The Bialy Eaters, Mimi Sheraton was barely able to locate any true bialy makers besides the illustrious Kossar's in New York.

East Side Market Place on the east side has some pretty good bagels, they even have biali's. I have not tried the baili's but I do like the bagels. Get the traditional ones, not the soft ones. I think they are shipped in from NYC daily, at least that's what I have been told in the past

Not a bagel fan myself, but there is a new bagel shop in Wickford that may sell what you are looking for. Unfortunately it is the old Wickford Gourmet that sold hundreds of different cheeses that I no longer have the pleasure of experiancing in my area:

Thanks for the suggestion. I'm familiar with Bagelz, as they have a store a mile or two away from me on the URI campus. They make faux bagels - big fluffy round things more similar to regular bread than a true NY bagel. They taste ok, but it's the texture that's the problem.

Are you willing to drive to Massachusetts? There are some very good bagel places that may be worth the drive. I'd say the closest would be Cafe Fresh Bagels, in Walpole MA. If you're up that way, definitely give them a try.